TIME TO MOVE FORWARD, NOT BACKWARD

By Jose Huizar

I'm excited about the future of our community. There is a sense of optimism in our neighborhoods and, for the first time in years, people believe that real change is possible. They want to help make our neighborhoods and city a better place to live. They care.

And so do I. That's why I'm running for City Council.

My whole life has been about bringing people together to work for change. I have worked tirelessly for educational and social justice. I grew up in this community and attended local schools. My wife and I are raising our two daughters here. My mother still lives here in the same house where I was raised. Serving on the City Council is a continuation of my commitment and passion for improving the quality of life in our community.

As a member of the L.A. School Board I brought parents and teachers together to challenge a dysfunctional bureaucracy: To demand academic accountability, excellence and equal opportunity for all children; To expose our district's shameful dropout rate and demand action to make sure more students graduate; To enact a tough ethics law and reform contracting procedures so that we could build new schools to relieve overcrowding; To put more police officers on our campuses to keep our children safer.

I will be just as tenacious in fighting for our neighborhoods on the City Council. Tenacious, yes. But also effective. And effectiveness is about forging consensus and motivating people to think big and join the fight.

As your next Councilmember, you can expect the same degree of passion, integrity and leadership that I brought to the School Board. I take on tough challenges, bring people together, and get the job done.

I am honored to be supported by a team that includes Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor Richard Riordan, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, Sheriff Lee Baca, the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, LA Chamber of Commerce, the Democratic Party, LA Firefighters and Police Officers, and many others. They've worked with me. They trust me. And they know that I am a unifier and a person of my word.

Our residents deserve a councilmember who will provide bold leadership, get results and work as a team. I'll team with Mayor Villaraigosa, our new Mayor from our neighborhood who understands our concerns. I'll join the Mayor in working to reform our schools. Any city that aspires to greatness must first have great schools. We, as a city, must hold the School District accountable. We must provide leadership in organizing parents and teachers, business and community leaders, neighborhood groups and religious institutions into a powerful constituency for reform - for excellence.

I'll work for a safer community. We are the most under-policed big city in America. I will join the Mayor in squeezing the budget to find the funds for more police officers. I will work for early intervention programs to reduce gang violence and drug abuse.

We need immediate and long-term solutions to our traffic problems. LA must become the world's leader in innovative public transit and I'll work for a world class bus system that includes dedicated bus lanes.

I am committed to making housing affordable and involving residents early and intensively. I'll join our neighborhoods in fighting to create more parks and preserve open space.

We really do have a unique opportunity here in the 14th Council District to make our community, our city, a better place to live, work and raise our families. All it takes is a common vision, common purpose and some common sense. I'm ready to get started. I ask you to join me.

José Huizar